The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 9: August 2023 - July 2024

[changemysoul]

Hear hear changemysoul. If I could like your post 100x I would.

It has been so nice seeing Harry and Meghan with all the competitors and their families this week. We saw multiple people thank Harry and credit the games for saving them. We also saw many flat out tell Meghan how much they support her and don’t listen to the toxic noise.

I’m glad Invictus is a safe space for everyone. It was an amazing week watching everyone thrive! Unto 2025!

I thank & yes! It’s not only been amazing for Harry and Meghan but just the overall feeling and atmosphere of the games and the support. The vets supporting Harry, loving him & welcoming Meghan. There was video and I think it was a competitor yesterday thanked Harry for the games while wishing him a happy birthday and then thanked Meghan for being there to support Harry. It’s really amazing.

Invictus Really is the safe place, tromp teams helping each other, being inspired by each other and etc! Honestly, everyone should check out Invictus social media. The energy at the games was off the charts.

Prince Harry childhood friend Nicky (appeared in the Harry & Meghan Doc) flew out to Germany for Harry’s bday and the games. Missan flew out and now we have some really great photos of the games)

Alexi posted an unseen photo from H&M wedding photos for Harry’s bday.

The opening ceremony had more than 22,000 spectators, the event had more than 60,000 visitors and that was has of the first half of the week, they expected more the 100,000 at the time the article was published.

But this games is amazing to see, the effort Prince Harry puts forth, as well as the IG Foundation heads, the volunteers and the vets. This is closing at a peak, from the partnership with Amazon and them purchasing tickets to the events so everyone can enter free, his work with BetterUp, giving free sessions to the the vets, 3 new nations making their debut, other nations ready & eager to bid on hosting the next games, the way Invictus allowed for defense ministers and etc meet together, hold council.

Simply amazing, Prince Harry has something to be truly proud of. He didn’t do it alone and he makes it known but I hope he feels the love when the veterans themselves, credit HIM for saving their lives in some form or another.

If anyone is interested, I believe the closing ceremony will be live streamed on the IG YouTube channel. It starts at 8PM CET which is 2PM EST (GMT-5)

And Invictus keeps growing! It was announced that A Hole For Respect will continue! The Mayor of Germany, along with The Minister of Defense & Richard Smith (IGF member) announced InvictusGER the official Germany Branch of Invictus. Australia also has something similar and they will do foundation work beyond the games, focused in Germany. To continue to build on the legacy of Invictus Games. This means, that Germany will now be having their own national veterans games, like the Warrior Games every year, as well as working toward towards Invictus every two years so the vets get around the clock care. Amazing news.

Their official Twitter account is InvictusGER

They also teased that a few events will be happening in 2024 to celebrate 10 years once the first Invictus games.

Lino for closing ceremony:

 

[Alison H]

Also, the Mayor of Düsseldorf gifted Harry with an Invictus themed Birthday-cake. I can’t post a picture rn but it looks good..I wouldn’t eat it tho, I hate the taste of black icing. If there was a way to persevere it to show off, that’s be cool.

There's a picture of the cake on here, but you have to scroll right down towards the bottom to get to it.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/502513/prince-harry-celebrates-birthday-invictus-games-outing/

 

[shady lady]

Lino for closing ceremony:

Thank you for providing this link. I watched PH's closing speech and the flag ceremony.

Credit where credit is due; PH's speech was much better than I expected it to be. He focused 100% on the servicemen and women, and it was especially moving when he talked about the Canadian bagpipe player, who was given a standing ovation and thanked for his service.

?

 

[changemysoul]

Thank you for providing this link. I watched PH's closing speech and the flag ceremony.

Credit where credit is due; PH's speech was much better than I expected it to be. He focused 100% on the servicemen and women, and it was especially moving when he talked about the Canadian bagpipe player, who was given a standing ovation and thanked for his service.

?

Np, yes he did, he always does imo, as he is apart of that group of servicemen and women, and they consider him to be a part.

It was lovely for him to call out the Bagpipe player and you could see the emotions in his eyes as Harry spoke, as well the comfort from his team-mates who've probably seen him at his worse many, many, times.

Overall, Harry is good for quoting stories about people in speeches. I believe it was in the US Games, during the closing speech in which highlighted what people did at the games.

Overall, if you listen to his speeches from the first games through to this one, he improved a lot in public speaking in general.

 

[changemysoul]

Official Numbers out from the InvictusGamesDE twitter account

We were proud to welcome:
? Over 125,000 visitors
? Around 1,000 accredited journalists
? Over 14,000 student visits
? Around 1,500 visits from military allies
? Over 25 million online visitors from around the world

 

[Moonmaiden23]

There's a picture of the cake on here, but you have to scroll right down towards the bottom to get to it.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/502513/prince-harry-celebrates-birthday-invictus-games-outing/

Right. It was a lovely gesture but that cake does nor look appetizing at all. Chocolate frosting would have been better.

 

[TLLK]

Right. It was a lovely gesture but that cake does nor look appetizing at all. Chocolate frosting would have been better.

The cake design is very clever, but it doesn't look very appealing.

 

[Elly C]

I think Harry’s speech for the closing ceremony was heartfelt but also measured and composed. He has matured into an excellent public speaker.

 

[Erin9]

Thank you for providing this link. I watched PH's closing speech and the flag ceremony.



Credit where credit is due; PH's speech was much better than I expected it to be. He focused 100% on the servicemen and women, and it was especially moving when he talked about the Canadian bagpipe player, who was given a standing ovation and thanked for his service.



?

That’s good. Sounds like a successful event. Invictus is a good cause. So- glad it seems to have gone well.

 

[SLV]

Glad to see that the games were a succes.

 

[FigTree]

Great the games went well for all who took part.

 

[Maryrose]

Thanks change my soul for all your insightful posts.

 

[Granada]

It will be very interesting to see Harry's path now going forward.

Does he capitalize on this resounding success, and pivot away, FINALLY, from relitigating his past grudges and grievances ? Battling in public the UK Media, and his Relatives, The Royal Family ?

That would be wonderful. And smart. And productive. Hope so.

Otherwise, if Harry, and-or Meghan keep their previous Strategy going, with "tell all" criticisms and allegations in MORE Netflix Series or Books, that will be a giant mistake.

Time will tell.

 

[shady lady]

That’s good. Sounds like a successful event. Invictus is a good cause. So- glad it seems to have gone well.

Yes - I would have liked to have seen more of the actual games.

My neighborhood hosts an annual Wounded Warrior event. Parades, barbeques, aquatic athletic events, it's always successful. There's never a big politician or celebrity or public figure who plays a prominent role, or who is even photographed. It's about the wounded warriors and their families.

That sounds great - and that's where the focus should be ?

Meghan, sporting $800 Hermes trainers and sending out briefings about how she did her own hair is the antethesis of what these events are about.

I agree with you 100%.

 

[shady lady]

It will be very interesting to see Harry's path now going forward.

Does he capitalize on this resounding success, and pivot away, FINALLY, from relitigating his past grudges and grievances ? Battling in public the UK Media, and his Relatives, The Royal Family ?

That would be wonderful. And smart. And productive. Hope so.

Otherwise, if Harry, and-or Meghan keep their previous Strategy going, with "tell all" criticisms and allegations in MORE Netflix Series or Books, that will be a giant mistake.

Time will tell.

It will indeed. For PH it's critical to his future going forward. Let's hope he takes the right path.

 

[Maryrose]

My neighborhood hosts an annual Wounded Warrior event. Parades, barbeques, aquatic athletic events, it's always successful. There's never a big politician or celebrity or public figure who plays a prominent role, or who is even photographed. It's about the wounded warriors and their families.

[.....]
Meghan, sporting $800 Hermes trainers and sending out briefings about how she did her own hair is the antethesis of what these events are about.

Well then what would be the point of any royal showing up at an event. Its about shining attention on a world wide stage for things they are passionate about.
I have no problem with her sneakers. Royals show up at events in very expensive jewelry and designer bespoke clothing all the time. [.....]

 

[shady lady]

Well then what would be the point of any royal showing up at an event. Its about shining attention on a world wide stage for things they are passionate about.
I have no problem with her sneakers. Royals show up at events in very expensive jewelry and designer bespoke clothing all the time. I also think besides doing her own hair she put her own toothpaste on her toothbrush.

Well, because MM isn't actually a royal any more for a start. She's an ex-royal. She was a royal for a very brief time - by marriage - until she quit. With all due respect, this is what many people don't understand, herself included, IMO. Her husband remains royal by birth despite his exit, and the children have royal blood through their father. That's it. She of course, still behaves like a royal, wants to be seen as one and be treated like one - but she isn't. Not any more. She is a duchess in name only.

People don't make superfluous speeches or keep changing their outfits unless they want one thing: attention.

The Invictus Games is PH's project. It didn't need MM, but she needed the games. As an opportunity, once again, to parade herself and grab all the attention, wanting everyone to think what a wonderful human being she is, whilst her mind is really focused on launching whatever it is she wants to do next to promote her "brand". Thus turning the games into a personal PR exercise.

Veterans all around the world continue to struggle in the aftermath of their service; many are homeless, sleeping on the streets and struggling with the nightmare of flashbacks, PTSD, and addiction as they try to block out the pain. No regular garment changes for them; all they have is the clothes on their backs - literally. No expensive trainers either; just worn out cast offs that probably don't fit. Is that MM's fault? No. Could she have shown more empathy and understanding by taking a back seat and letting the athletes compete, without repeatedly drawing attention to herself? Absolutely yes.

And it could have been done...MM could have turned up in a more low key manner; casually dressed, quietly slipping into her seat beside PH, and just watched the games. Of course she would have still got some attention, but the focus would have remained primarily on the games. No speech, no fashion show, no fanfare or fuss - just being there in the background for once to support her husband and the games. Predictably, that didn't happen.

The bottom line is this IMO: MM thinks she's more important than she actually is. If she hadn't married PH, most of us today would never even have heard of her.

 

[TLLK]

It will be very interesting to see Harry's path now going forward.

Does he capitalize on this resounding success, and pivot away, FINALLY, from relitigating his past grudges and grievances ? Battling in public the UK Media, and his Relatives, The Royal Family ?

That would be wonderful. And smart. And productive. Hope so.

Otherwise, if Harry, and-or Meghan keep their previous Strategy going, with "tell all" criticisms and allegations in MORE Netflix Series or Books, that will be a giant mistake.

Time will tell.

I'm rooting for both of them to ride the wave of success and goodwill that the most recent Invictus Games has generated and to stay that course. Should they choose to do so, I believe that they can resurrect their reputations and even gain back some of their former admirers like myself. ?

 

[TLLK]

Official Numbers out from the InvictusGamesDE twitter account

We were proud to welcome:
? Over 125,000 visitors
? Around 1,000 accredited journalists
? Over 14,000 student visits
? Around 1,500 visits from military allies
? Over 25 million online visitors from around the world

Thank you for the information changemysoul.


Do you have any recent information on "Heart of Invictus" ranking at Netflix? I'd been hoping that the IG might boost its popularity.

 

[Granada]

Maryrose, sorry but I too found Meghan to be a distraction at Invictus. Overly involved, but that's just my opinion.

I remember during the publicity interviews surrounding Spare that we were told that Spare was Harry's PROJECT. That's why Meghan didn't participate in publicizing it, or sit in on the various interviews.
I guess I was figuring on the same situation here. Minimum involvement.

But, be that as it may, I thought it was calculating on her (or their) part to drum up some much needed VERY positive coverage for The Sussex Brand. After nearly a year of bad publicity and public put downs from Late Night shows like Jimmy Kimmel or the devastating South Park Parody.

[.....]

 

[changemysoul]

[.....] I agree overall with the others who says Meghan's clothing isn't a big deal. The outfit changes helps show they were at different events throughout the day if you're taking a quick look at the photos of them. Harry also changed changed clothing.

Spare and the Invictus Games are two different things and we all know that. Meghan didn't go on Harry's book-tour because it's HIS book about HIS life with two sections that didn't involve Meghan at all. Invictus Games is a sporting event for vets and FRIENDS and FAMILY. So, yes, the founding veteran wife's will be involved and show up at the games. And once again, the actual voices of vets are being overlooked because THEY want her at the games. Because they thanked her for being there to support her husband. Just as the competitors from various countries have their families their to support them.

Also, I would genuinely like to know how Meghan was over-involved in these games? She made a two minute of the cuff speech at a private event for family and friends. Other than that, she was simply by her husbands side. No speeches, no major roles. She handed out metals but so did a worker from Boeing who they partnered with. A TV Broadcaster from FOX who covered the games did. Last year, some of the young kids who visited the games had the chance to hand how metals? So what has Meghan done wrong? What did she took that could be taken as her shoving herself into the spotlight and taking attention...from people who want her around?

And seeing more the games, I don't understand how any of the games were missed unless someone just didn't care to see? During the entire week of the games, the Invictus Games youtube channel hosted a free livestream for each event that was simply focused on broadcasting the games. Not even Harry and Meghan but the vets. They've posted numerous clips on social media as well as videos. Not seeing the games this years means not doing enough to actually find out how to watch them. There was no barrier to watching the games this year. I love Harry and Meghan, I'm a huge support and looked for all of the pictures of them BUT when I had free time at work or on my way home, I loaded up youtube, went to the live stream and watched them. There was no way I could see more because I looked into everything that was offered to watch the vets, not Harry and Meghan.

Thank you for the information changemysoul.


Do you have any recent information on "Heart of Invictus" ranking at Netflix? I'd been hoping that the IG might boost its popularity.

Sadly, no. I don't know how to find numbers for Netflix. I know that on day 3 and 4 four of the games, it was trending.

 

[shady lady]

Maryrose, sorry but I too found Meghan to be a distraction at Invictus. Overly involved, but that's just my opinion.

I remember during the publicity interviews surrounding Spare that we were told that Spare was Harry's PROJECT. That's why Meghan didn't participate in publicizing it, or sit in on the various interviews.
I guess I was figuring on the same situation here. Minimum involvement.

But, be that as it may, I thought it was calculating on her (or their) part to drum up some much needed VERY positive coverage for The Sussex Brand. After nearly a year of bad publicity and public put downs from Late Night shows like Jimmy Kimmel or the devastating South Park Parody.

[.....]

Thank you, Granada for this post

[.....] The working BRF represents my country and my fellow population; their lives are devoted to serving us.

They do so in the face of often unfair and inaccurate criticism to which they cannot usually respond; whether they were born into it without choice, or chose to become a part of it. A job which, while it may come with fantastic and obvious privileges, also includes considerable and less easily seen personal sacrifices. They stay focused and get on with doing the job.

 

[TLLK]

Quote:
Originally Posted by TLLK
Thank you for the information changemysoul.


Do you have any recent information on "Heart of Invictus" ranking at Netflix? I'd been hoping that the IG might boost its popularity.

Sadly, no. I don't know how to find numbers for Netflix. I know that on day 3 and 4 four of the games, it was trending

Thank you changemysoul.

 

[Ista]

A number of posts have been deleted as they were:
-responses to deleted posts
-off topic for the thread
-involved bickering between members
-dragged in comparisons to other royalty

Any further posts along those lines will also be deleted.

There's going to be a certain amount of disagreement on any thread, but members need to be respectful of each other, and they need to follow the forum and the thread rules.

 

[Durham]

An issue for Invictus is that too much of the media attention (at least in Britain) is on Meghan Markle. And Harry to a lesser extent. Now this is not her fault as such because some sections of the media (for the present at least) have an over the top interest in her as a celebrity. Indeed both H&M are controversial & divisive figures who generate a lot of heat. Whether they court &/or welcome this interest is a moot point, to put it mildly.

One solution might be for H&M to avoid attending most of the event. Maybe the opening & closing ceremonies only. It was noticeable that this year unlike last MM did not appear on stage & make a speech at the opening ceremony. It’s possible that not everyone in the Invictus organisation was happy about that at the time.

It might be best going forward for Invictus to put more well known & highly respected people like Simon Weston to the fore – if he’s willing of course. No doubt other countries have their own equivalents who could champion / publicise / popularise Invictus.

 

[Durham]

Thank you, Granada for this post

[.....] The working BRF represents my country and my fellow population; their lives are devoted to serving us.

Yes absolutely. Members of the rf do support charities & have their projects of course but that is not their only or even their most important role. Since HM in his role as head of the nation can't be everywhere some of his relatives can represent him. Whether that's related to the armed forces, the emergency services, schools, hospitals, social events or just visiting remote & sparsely populated parts of the isles. This is important.

 

[Maryrose]

Well I see several of my posts have been deleted and I definitely feel the need to apologize.Everyone is entitled to their opinion and even though we disagree doesnt mean I should be snarky or offensive ( "mooching" comes to mind). If we were sitting face to face having a cup of tea or a glass of wine even though we disagreed I know the conversation would go differently than a typed paragraph.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

An issue for Invictus is that too much of the media attention (at least in Britain) is on Meghan Markle. And Harry to a lesser extent. Now this is not her fault as such because some sections of the media (for the present at least) have an over the top interest in her as a celebrity. Indeed both H&M are controversial & divisive figures who generate a lot of heat. Whether they court &/or welcome this interest is a moot point, to put it mildly.

One solution might be for H&M to avoid attending most of the event. Maybe the opening & closing ceremonies only. It was noticeable that this year unlike last MM did not appear on stage & make a speech at the opening ceremony. It’s possible that not everyone in the Invictus organisation was happy about that at the time.

It might be best going forward for Invictus to put more well known & highly respected people like Simon Weston to the fore – if he’s willing of course. No doubt other countries have their own equivalents who could champion / publicise / popularise Invictus.

Why should TRH The Sussexes change their behavior because the media, specifically the British media, choose to focus on them to the exclusion of The Invictus Games and the veterans? The vast majority of The Invictus Games' own media put the focus on the competitors, with TRH The Sussexes occupying a relatively small, but significant, part of it. Why isn't the argument instead that the media should focus on the veterans' story instead of TRH The Sussexes, especially since the physical and mental plight of returning soldiers is vastly underreported in the media?

 

[Durham]

Why should TRH The Sussexes change their behavior because the media, specifically the British media, choose to focus on them to the exclusion of The Invictus Games and the veterans? The vast majority of The Invictus Games' own media put the focus on the competitors, with TRH The Sussexes occupying a relatively small, but significant, part of it. Why isn't the argument instead that the media should focus on the veterans' story instead of TRH The Sussexes, especially since the physical and mental plight of returning soldiers is vastly underreported in the media?

Because they won't. Not now, it doesn't sell like H&M do.

Please have a look Simon Weston's life story. He's an inspiration & would be a fantastic public face for Invictus.

 

[Curryong]

Weston may well be inspirational. However, would he be able to bring any significant media spotlight or coverage to the IG, or be able encourage the leaders of cities, provinces, countries etc to take part on the world stage in coming years? We have after all seen what has happened to the Commonwealth Games, with its immediate future in doubt.

And Harry began the Invictus Games. His heart and his soul have always been 100% with these Games and their competitors. Why should he be forced to give it up or take a lesser role just because the British media enjoy seeing and dissecting every detail of he and Meghan together or what his wife does when she is by his side?

Harry and Meghan have in fact been brilliant at these Games. They’ve brought publicity to it, interacted beautifully with competitors and spectators alike and have been enthusiastic spectators themselves at various competitions. These Games need a figurehead, a spokesman or woman who is known and recognisable to the general public. That does not mean that others aren’t worthy people, just not for that particular role.